The Tale of Aleksander Thomsilion
by Limepink
Summary: An epic adventure of a young swordsmith, who overhears a plot to abduct the King of Stormwind! Fleeing those who would kill the witness,his journey for safety, becomes a quest for justice. Original characters, major lore characters play in the background.
1. Swords and Conspiracies

**Swords and Conspiracies**

**A**leksander blocked the sun out of his eyes as he tried to finish cleaning up his work table. He was always sure to keep his tools in good order and not to leave a mess behind at the end of the day- it was the way he had been trained. "_ It is hot today, I can't wait to hit the tram... at least its cooler there. Soon as I get home I'm taking a shower and heading down to the pub." _He wiped the fine metal dust off his etching tools, and carefully packed them between layers of thin wool. He dashed a bucket of water over the small bank of hot coals he had been using to melt minute amounts of silver for chasing. He collected and counted and deposited all the simple pearls he had been setting into a dagger, back into their little pouch. It was a fine piece he had managed today- a commission from a man in the House of Nobles, as a betrothal gift for his intended. A tiny lady's dagger, mostly used to pin the hair up than for any violence. It was fine silver, with little birds chasing each other around the hilt, and bedecked with the pearls around the hilt.

"Hurry up Aleks, we're goin' to miss the tram back to Ironforge if ya don't put a step in it" a ruddy dwarf next to him exclaimed. Aleksander grinned at his friend Stark McTubbens- the two had met the first day as apprentices of the great Sword smith Master Ellington, and had been inseparable ever since. Stark was from the Ironforge clan itself, though he claimed there was some Uldum from his grand-aunts nephew's cousin on his fathers side. The sprawling familial tribes of the dwarves was a bit daunting to Aleks, as it was near impossible for him to keep track of the relations. Stark never seemed to have any such problems, for as he said 'Kin is kin, ye can always tell.' On the other hand, Starks parents were the two kindest souls he had ever met. When Ma McTubben heard that Aleks lived on his own, she insisted that he start coming over for dinner, to 'get some real food in a wee growing lad!". While he may have been a bit miffed that he was still considered a wee lad, Ma McTubbens dinners more than made up for it. A weekly tradition was established, though quite often Aleks was over more often that that, to Ma's delight. "One second short stuff" Aleks joked. He quickly grabbed up his pack and began heading out the door in step with Stark when Master Ellington suddenly looked up from his worktable.

"Aleksander, be a good boy and take this package to Lord Fairneworth in the Keep will you? I finally finished setting the gems in the hilt and he's most anxious to get it back". The old man peered at him over his glasses. "It is on your way is it not?" he asked. "It would be my honor Master Ellignton." Aleks replied. He carefully accepted the heavy package and quickly walked out the door, trying to catch up with Stark. "Make sure to ask him about the gauntlets before you leave!" Master Ellington called after him. Master Ellington, as known by his apprentices, or Julien Ellington, 'the greatest sword-smith since Magni Bronzebeard, of the famed Ashbringer', which Master Ellington himself said was too long a title to fit comfortably in anyone's mouth. He had crafted swords for the Order of the Silverhand, as well as some of the higher-ranking Guardsman, and there was a rumour that he was already planning the first sword that the young Prince Adrian would receive when he became a knight.

"Hey Aleks, wot is it ye got there?" the dwarf asked looking at the fancy velvet covering. "Its a package for one of the nobles." Aleks rolled his eyes. _"Nobles are funny creatures- so much money to spend on trivial things - like refitting their hilts with new imported gems, but unable to find the money to send troops to Darkshire or Westfall" _These were not thoughts one ever sad aloud of course, though technically any free man could petition an audience from the King, or one the noble who ruled where he lived. People that said such things, like the old hermit Norman, ended up like old hermit Norman, who disappeared from his corner for two weeks, and when he came back, all he did was run around in circles barking, and then claiming he was Thrall, the High Warchief of the Horde undercover, sent to dismantle Stormwind from within. Before, he used to be a scholar, who would rail against the unfair taxes, the disgusting amounts of waste, the state of the nation, with not enough armies to protect all of its holdings- the Horde was not their only problem. There were the rogue troll tribes, gnolls, kobolds, quilboar, the bear tribes, the undead, as well as the regular host of nasty animals who wanted to eat nice, soft humans. Since Hermit Normans mysterious 'change', most dissent was whispered in murmurs, as the people wondered why their King had no answer for them.

"Ahh...I kinda wonted to be home in time for Gresella...we have a date." Aleksander cracked up at the look on Starks face. "Nice going there buddy" he teased. "Listen...you go on ahead. I'll just run this in really quick and I'll see you tomorrow. Deal?" Stark beamed at him. "Ye always know how to compromise!" he exclaimed as he rushed off to the tram.

Aleksander walked the rest of the way to the Keep, enjoying the weather and the noises of the evening rush- stores closing, people packing up, families getting together. The scent of all sorts of cooking wafting from the different inns and restaurants- not just traditional human food was to be had in Stormwind, there was the heartier Dwarven dishes, the "instant" dinners the gnomes tinkered with, and even the exotic fruits and vegetables of the Elves. He passed the two guards outside the Keep with a nod- he ran so many deliveries as a first-year apprentice they knew him well by now.

He felt very out of place in his common work clothes- brown leggings, sturdy boots, a cream colored shirt and a rugged leather belt. He stood outside the door of the Petitioners Chamber waiting to announce himself, taking in the velvets and silks and laces of the courtesans around him. Aleks tried to brush off the soot stains around his cuffs and unwrinkled his shirt. Finally one of the servants "noticed" him and asked his business.

"I have a package from Master Ellington for Lord Fairneworth." he replied smoothly. The servant conducted him into the interior chamber with much more respect, due to recognizing he wasn't some poor farmer petitioning off bandits, but an apprentice. Aleksander tried not to fidget as he waited for the nobles to finish their conversation. The servant, noticing his lack of stillness, elbowed him slightly. Aleksander straightened up quickly, looking balefully at him.

Lord Fairneworth finally turned toward him somewhat impatiently. "Yes? May I help you young man?" Fairneworth was one of the most influential Lords of the House of Nobles, and he ruled territory from Duskwood almost to Stranglethorn Valley. He once held vast lands in Tirisfal, but those had fallen with the Scourge.

Aleks stepped forward quickly and executed a quick bow, down upon one knee. "I am Master Ellingtons' apprentice. He asked me to deliver this to you- it is your sword, refitted as you asked." He held out the package from his bow, wincing slightly. The cold stone floor was painful on his knee. He was relieved as the servant took it from his hands. At Lord Farineworths's nod he rose unsteadily.

"Tell Ellington that I will send the payment along shortly. I am sure he's done excellent work again. Run along now young man, Cristan will tip you for your services at the door." With that dismissal, Aleks waited for the Lord to exit into the antechamber before following the servant "Cristan" out. Halfway down the marble hallway Aleks halted. He forgot to ask about the gauntlets! Calling himself ten kinds of idiots he caught up to Cristan apologetically. "I needed to ask Lord Fairnesworth about the gauntlets he had also ordered. I need to go back and talk to him."

Cristan looked at him irritated. "Listen you bumpkin, it is Friday night- there is a _ball_ tonight. The entire castle is going to be all-a-do getting ready and beautiful, and likewise I need to have a decent showing myself! Run back yourself if you must, but make sure to knock and wait for the other servants to conduct you in. I have better things to do than play nanny to some commoner!" Cristan walked off without another word.

Aleks slowly unclenched his fist. "_Stay calm. Just ignore him, run back and do your task, and then you can leave and go enjoy a pint. Bumpkin eh? I'd teach him a quick lesson or two if we weren't in the Keep..." _Aleksander trotted back up the hallway, dodging servants burdened with laundry, baskets of bread, fruits, all sorts of things for the ball tonight. He supposed it was good to celebrate- people needed it. But so much better could be done for the people!

Pausing at the door to the antechamber, he scouted around for a servant. He had noticed that they had managed to adopt the manner of hiding behind curtains and statues, materializing when needed.

When no one came forward he timidly walked through the great oak doors into a small room. There were red velvet curtains draped along the walls, and a well-built solid oak table in the middle. On the opposite end of the room was a portrait of the King, life-sized.

Aleksander walked over to it in awe. The portrait showed exquisite detail of the clothing and jewels- but the eyes were mesmerizing, they almost looked alive. He had never seen such a well done life-sized portrait before in his life. He reached out to touch it when it seemed like the portrait was _speaking_ to him! He jumped back in surprise, quickly making the sign against evil. Looking around him he saw no apparitions or spirits or ghosts. Aleksander cautiously leaned against the portrait, and realized the voice did not come FROM the portrait, but from BEHIND it.

"...Alcaz...no no...the Defias made sure no one saw where they...of course we covered our tracks...hired...naga...yes...are guarding him...off the coast...Kalimdor."

A more familiar, lordly voice cut in, sounding clearer and closer. "With the King out the way my path to the throne lies clear. The boy himself is too young to rule, and too young to get out the way. A few well placed rumors of him dabbling with the plague and such will banish him easily. Really, this is nearly fool-proof -"::_woosh_::

The portrait swung open, hitting Aleks in the head lightly as he stumbled out the way back onto the table. Lord Fairneworth and a man clad in dark leather stared at him stunned.

"I...I..." Aleks stammered. "SIEZE HIM! GUARDS!" Lord Fairneworth roared. He shoved the man back into the passage before advancing onto Aleks, who was looking around wildly. He heard the sound of guards approaching, and before he could think, had leapt to his feet and was out the room.

"_Left...Right...down this corridor, jump down here...take another right...where are the kitchen exits?_"

All those deliveries had given Aleks a decent knowledge of the servant entrances to the Keep. He looked up the flight to the floor he was on and saw guards talking to Lord Fairnesworth. Not even thinking or comprehending what was happening or what he had heard, he ran into the kitchens. He caught a few curious looks from the serving maids as he sped out the door and down the dock.

Bursting into the outside air, he heard the echoes of shouting and running from inside the Keep. "_What the hell am I doing running? Why am I running?_" Grimly, Aleksander replayed the conversation in his head. Last week the King was said to have gone on a mission to see Jaina Proudmore in Kalimdor and talk of peace with the orcs...apparently Lord Fairneworth saw to it he never got there, and because of that Aleksander was an inconvenience.

He dashed into an abandoned shop, that was the good thing about Old Town- so many old shops or old houses that no one remembered anymore. He doubted the Guard would find him here...they would still be inside the Keep, and when they did begin to search the whole city...the shop was found only upstairs from a side door in an alley.

He slumped against the wall, heart palpitating. He would be killed. Even though he had never committed a crime in his life, Lord Fairnesworth would have him killed quietly in some lower room in the Stockades, with no one to tell his story of what he knew, and no one to protest he had done no wrong. He needed to get out.

The mind of a man who understands his death is imminent and nearly inescapable is an amusing thing. His thoughts chased themselves like a dog and its tail.

" _I need to leave Stormwind. I need to leave all the Alliance cities...he would hunt me to the end...I don't even think he would leave me be if I holed up in a cottage in Darkshire, far away from him and the court! I need to pack my things...I need clothes... and food. I am hungry. I guess I can't have that pint now. I wonder where the guard is. How am I going to get out of this? Do I still have my tools on me? Where am I going to go? I wonder what time it is. How long have I been here? It smells like kingsblood in here...how appropriate. What the hell? Am I running like a scared rabbit? I need to tell someone of his plan! He can't kidnap the King and usurp the throne? Haha. How funny Aleks, you suddenly think you are a hero? What have you fought before? Iron and steel? What have you killed besides chickens and cows on your farm? What can you do? Nothing you fool...leave that to heroes, find yourself a small cottage somewhere and be happy! "_

He huddled in a corner of the shop watching the sun dip down through a corner of the window. He saw the patrols going in and out of businesses, and questioning people.

'Have you seen this man? He is wanted for helping the Defias. No? Thank you Citizen.'

Aleksander got up and stretched when the sun had set and the sky dark- there was no moon tonight. He had spent the last four hours sitting in near delirium, chasing plans in and out his head. He came up with one: he needed help. He was going to see Stark.

He found an old cloak in a closet that he quickly donned, before smearing his face with some of the oil he found in a bottle. Glancing in the cracked mirror he saw his face was dark like leather now, and not the pale complexion he was born with. That should do.

Slipping out the store, he tried hard to fight the urge to skulk along the shadows, and forced himself to walk bravely past bright torches and patrols, his heart hammering the whole time. The patrols stopped him once, near the entrance to the Merchants quarter. "Sir, we are looking for a man who attempted to rob Lord Fairnesworth. He is about 6'1, brown hair, brown eyes, slight built, -an apprentice named Aleksander. Have you seen him?" "_Robbing Lord Fairnesworth! What? I would never do such a thing!" _His heart now tapping a staccato against his chest, he looked the guard in the eye. "Nay sir, I just came in this evening to go to the wool stalls and see what I could pick up for the missus." he rasped, his fear making his voice hoarser than usual. The guard nodded, waving him on. 'Of course- thank you Citizen. Do keep an eye out!'

Reaching the tram entrance, he passed the two guards on duty with a nod, and descended the steps into the cool gloom. He sat down in a corner, ignoring the homeless gnomes and others around him, staring at the Tram Tracking screen, every moment expecting to hear the guards come flying down the stairs, swords drawn to haul him back to the Keep. When his carriage arrived, Aleks could have kissed the steel frame. He hopped in a cart by himself and stared out vacantly at the water as he rushed towards home.


	2. Flight

**Flight**

**T**he tram screeched to a halt at the Ironforge station, and Aleks was dismayed to see posters of his face already slathered on the walls. Probably conjured by the guard-mages. Pulling his hood up, he walked out onto the smooth floor of the Gnome quarter.

Passing through the tinker town, he jogged up a flight of stairs and into the Residential district. There were still some guards making patrols- more than the usual night crews, but it wasn't as bad as Stormwind had been. He hoped that he could go home- he knew he could not stay, but he at least wanted to pack a few things before he ran….ran wherever it was he could go. As he turned on to his street, he saw a pair of guards stationed in front of his door. Heart thudding painfully, he walked straight on past it with hardly a look.

He went down another alley, and then across the bridge and through the main avenue. He could think of nothing else to do, as he bounded up the stairs. He knocked on the door, shifting to and fro impatiently, paranoid and nervous. The door was opened a crack by Ma McTubbens, who promptly threw the door open and enveloped him in a fierce hug. "Aye lad, the guards came here pokin' their nose in me cupboards and rooms as ef I was their mam!" she exclaimed, ushering him into the living room. Sitting around the fire looking distressed was Stark and his father.

"Aleks!" he exclaimed getting up. "The guard said ye were wonted for attempted robbery of Lord Fairnesworth! Did ye not give him his sword? They searched ye apartment, and came and asked us about whens the last we had seen o' ya. Wot have ye gone and gotten yeself into now!" he rushed out in one breath.

Aleksander released a breath he did not now he had been holding. They believed him innocent because they knew him. He had been afraid they would have called the guards the second he showed up at the doorstep. He plopped down into one of the chairs and gratefully accepted the tea and loaf of bread Ma brought him, ignoring the butter and the knife, he began wolfing it down, explaining in between bites what had happened.

"So you see...its Lord Fairneworth...I just happened to hear of it, and now he wants me dead. I can't stay in any of the Alliance cities...he'll be searching for me night and day. I- I don't know what to do. They have guards outside my house. I was thinking of going to either Azhara- I have distant family there and in the wilderness I could build a home and not be bothered...or going to a goblin trade-town and making my life there, but they might find me. I just don't know." He withered, defeated, exhausted and out of ideas.

Stark turned slightly red. "Aleks, I wish I could help more, or have ye stay with us- yer family through and through...but the guards said they would watch us closely, in case you came by. Yer lucky they haven't knocked the door down yet." His friend looked at him with a deeply troubled face. Aleksander had been expecting this though. Starks was a loyal, good friend- but what could he do against the might of the Crown? What could anyone do? "_Maybe I should turn myself in and try to plead my if they don't believe me, robbery is what? Outlawed to the far kingdoms? Sent as fodder to the front lines to battle the Horde? Seven years in prison? Can't be much worse than forever running can it?" _

Suddenly, Pa Mctubbens stood up and cleared his throat. "None o' this talk of leaving the boy to those hounds. I've been here long before either of ye, n I've seen wot them nobles in that court are like. Wait right here a brew, and I'll show ye something that might be o' some help to the boy." He walked up the stairs into the bedrooms, as the two young men sat there looking morosely into the fire, and Ma McTubbens rocked back and forth knitting furiously, thinking.

"I thought of something." Ma said, beaming, as she put down her knitting. "When I was a younger, prettier lass a man used to court me." she began, a blush creeping on her cheeks. "He became a high ranking officer in S1:7, and still has a soft spot for me. They do all sorts of espionage and other shadowy things I don approve of a wee bit...but...when it comes to thing such as this, wots simple folk like us to do? I shall go see him tomorrow and tell him wot you've said. No, dun worry lad." she interjected as Aleksander looked alarmed. "I wont be telling him where you choose to hide...but theres been times afore when the Crowns been in danger, and thems the men who saved it." She picked up her knitting, now pleased she knew how to help.

Pa McTubbens sauntered back into the living room carrying a large, iron trunk. He took a key from around his neck and unlocked it, motioning the boys forward.

"I never did tell you this, but when I was a young lad, fresh from Menethil- I enlisted into the Stormpike Army." Aleks peered into the chest and saw medals, a crimson uniform and other sundry trinkets inside.

Pa gently pulled out a necklace that has a small carved piece of wood on it. He handed it over to Aleks who inspected it. It was smooth, probably of the Silverleaf tree, or maybe of the Darnassian purple heart trees. It was intricately carved with runes he had never seen, and smelled like the woods. He looked up questioningly. What was the necklace for?

Pa sighed and explained. "I am 98 years old...respectable by Dwarven standards, but not old. When I was a Stormpike soldier, we were told to go out and fight back a contingent of Kobolds that had infested the mine we used for supplies. Halfway through, we had encountered no Kobolds...because a small company of Horde had cleared them out for the same purpose. We began to fight inside the cave, when suddenly there was a shatter in the earth- and the cave closed in.

We realized quickly we would all die there, so we stopped fighting and tried to start shifting rock. From behind us came the noises of hundreds of Kobolds- they had a city in that mine, and we had set off their trap. We banded together best we could to stave them off- Forsaken healing humans, Dwarves saving orcs, we all fought to survive. It was a gruesome, bloody battle- but we've not time for it. We survived. It took us 3 days to heal and shift through that rock, and in that time we learned something our Kings and Commanders did not want us to know- we are all living creatures. We all were the same truly, and could get along.

Learning something new, we exchanged gifts of parting. A troll shaman there gave me that necklace lad- it cloaks you in the appearance of a Horde and gives you their speech. The same necklace they have….but it does the opposite." At Aleksander's and Starks gasp, he waved his hands to silence them. "Yes I know what they might be used for, but they were not like that. Many of us have died since then- other races are not as long lived as Dwarves and Night elves you see...but we all remember each other. I kept in contact with one of them, he is probably ancient by now. I quit the army that month." He turned to Starks "I didn't want ye to know son, that ye father got a dishonorable discharge from the army for allying and helping Horde. But its good to know we are all people."

Pa Mctubbens stood up. "Ye were right Aleks...ye can't stay in Alliance lands...but ye can go to Horde." He continued, ignoring the look of horror etched upon his face. "I know ye was brought up to think o them as lesser creatures- bloodthirsty and monstrous- I was too. But they have the same feelings as us, and it was with them we defeated the Burning Legion. And if Titans forbid- some other horror comes to plague us, its with them again we'd ally. The orc I kept in touch with was a shaman- one of the nature magic ones. He was a war shaman, not a healer type, but he was a good man. Ye can't waste no time now. Ye must be packed and out of Ironforge by dawn."

Stark spoke up "Wot about Uncle Loderdods?", Pa and Ma Mctubbens nodded their heads, and Ma walked outside quickly. "Whose Uncle Loderdod?" Aleks asked. "Uncle Loderdod is a family friend from a long time Aleks- he's a mage, and he'll port ye back to Stormwind's gates so you cut out some hours from your traveling'", Pa held up a hand to forestall Aleks's objections. "He won't talk none lad, he's near kin. Ma went to fetch him back here. Its no choice- if ye don't start from Stormwind, ye'd never make it alive through the Badlands." Aleks shuddered in agreement.

The door swung open and everyone jumped in surprise, but it was only Ma followed by a fussy little gnome. Uncle Loderdods wore a shocking pink robe and a tall, wizards hat bigger than he was that kept slipping unto his nose. He said nothing as he eyed Aleks, and just nodded to the family as he began to make the motions and murmur the incantations to create the portal.

Ma suddenly got up and began taking down things from the stores- bread, cheese, salt. Pa was handing him a map and explaining directions to him as he wrote them down, but Aleks felt like he was underwater. Everything moved slowly and nothing was making sense. "Lad, we won't be able to keep in touch- they'll turn the heat up on ye. When ye get to Stormblade, he'll know how to send us a message. Tell no one else what ye are, for they've no love for us Alliance. If he's dead, ye'll have to make your own way best ye can. I'm sorry lad."

The next thing he knew he had on a new set of clothes and a bag on his back. He said goodbye to the McTubbens. The look on Starks face was engraved into his mind. Suddenly walking into the portal.

Stepping outside the gates of Stormwind.

Into the forest.

He did not stop until morning.


	3. The Journey

**The Journey**

**A**leksander stirred groggily as the pale morning light shone into his eyes. Opening them warily, he tried not to remember that horrid flight- dodging the guards, the chill, the wolf packs, the branches that snagged his clothes to the owl who saw it fit to let its droppings fall on him.

Stretching he suddenly lost his balance and plummeted several feet to damp earth- he had been asleep in a tree. Groaning, he got up tenderly, wondering how much distance he had put between him and the soldiers. "_At the pace I was going, and through the forest not even the roads...it could not have been more than a few hour lead...I can't waste time." _He had gotten out of Elwynn and was near the Swamp of Sorrows...he figured he could get to Booty Bay and then take a goblin ship across...he shivered involuntarily. "_Tigers...raptors...god forsaken creatures and me traipsing through the forest like some nymph...more like lunch!" _

Swiftly, he threw his cloak back on and finally took a moment to sift through the bags Ma had packed- bread, cheese, standard travel jerky. Two filled water flasks- he grabbed one and greedily drank a third of it in a gulp. Putting it aside he pulled out the map Pa had drawn the directions on...a compass, flint, tinder, a skinning knife, a small length of rope, ...and his tools.

Warmth and homesickness suddenly flooded Aleksander. "_Stark must have grabbed them before he left...why...why am I hiding in a tree in the middle of a swamp when I should be learning how to make new alloys today with Master Ellington!"_ Anguished, he was lost in a swift remembrance of all he would never see again...because of that bastard...

He grabbed some of the bread, and got up. He needed to keep moving...he wouldn't get the satisfaction of dragging him in with the guard...hopefully S1:7 would find out the truth and be able to clear his name. His mind kept treating this all as a temporary measure so he would not break down and have hysterics. He could _not_ think that this was…permanent.

He set off as the sun was bright, keeping off the road as he meandered through the swamp. Every crunch of leaves behind him, and every ominous call of the strange birds made him jump. He had grown up on a farm...not in wilderness such as this. No matter...he would be out soon and close to Stranglethorn. In a short amount of time, he realized 'soon' was a relative term, and whoever had drawn this map had never crossed these distances themselves, or they would not have made them look so…crossable.

For every three steps he took, he sunk to his knees in the muck. For every four steps he took, some type of flying insect would attempt to bite him. For every five steps he took, he would trip over a tree root hidden in the mud, or step on a snake, that would then attempt to bite him. Whenever he wasn't sinking, low hanging branches would slap him in the face, and whenever he concentrated on not falling on another root, he would hear a low growl and desperately try to locate its source.

"_By the Light, what have I ever done to deserve this? I go to service every week! I try to be a good person. I work hard, I don't cheat others. This? This has got to be punishment for thieves and murderers." _

Aleks focused his mind on his feet so he would not think. _Left right, left right, one in front, one in front, one in front, left right._ He didn't want to stop and think- he was afraid he'd collapse in madness.

He slept that night under a small bridge he found. Its design seemed of Night Elf origins, which confused him in this wilderness. It seemed to lead to nowhere- a small, beautiful red wood bridge, over a small creek, no larger than the myriad of other small creeks that criss-crossed the landscapes. It still felt like a little piece of civilization, and comforted him. On a practical note, it was dry underneath, and blocked the drizzling rain that started up. He finished off his travel jerky as he stared into the distant nothing. The lack of city noises produced a distracting absence his ear kept trying to strain to hear.

_Horde...he was to go live amongst horde..._Images swirled around his mind...warring armies, blood thirsty savages...he heard they didn't even speak common. Horrid half cow people and worse...the undead...Aleks shuddered at the thought of the burning eyes that once looked like his. He was to LIVE amongst the creatures..."_Better than not living at all."_ was his last thought before sleep overtook his exhausted, muddy body.

The next day was more of the same torture, except now he could add exhaustion from the previous day, and a crick in his neck from how he slept to the list. Aleksander though about all the homeless leper gnomes he always passed without a glance on the tram. Did they feel like this everyday? Hungry, tired, scared of the guards, with cricks in their neck from sleeping badly on little benches?

These thoughts kept his mind off the drudgery of his position, and allowed the time to crawl by without him marking it- too often. By sunset he could see the tips of the buildings of Booty Bay.


	4. The Raptor Chapter

**The Raptor Chapter**

**T**he smell of the sea hit him with full force, as he stood near the back entrance to Booty Bay. He was hidden in the bush alongside the road, trying to see if there were yet any wanted posters for him, or if the guards at the gate were questioning anyone. He had heard that the sea was a majestic thing to take the breath away- Master Ellington had once gone to Darnassus to learn how to use the special Moonsteel the elves preferred. He had said that next to the ocean, all men knew their place in the world.

While normally, a chance to voyage across such a thing might have filled Aleks with trepidation and anticipation, now, he only wished it to be over with, an obstacle in his path to his destination of safety. After keeping a watch on the guards for an hour, he had learned a few important things- Goblins did not care what business you had in Booty Bay, Goblins expected a bribe or they would pretend to care what business you had, and that word had not yet reached of his flight.

He backtracked to around a curve, intending to get on the road and walk up to the gate as any other passerby. As he pushed through some of the thick vines, he saw a flash of orange in his periphery- and then he heard a roar. Aleks jumped down off the small hill and hit the road running- chancing a look back he saw to his horror a six foot tall Lashtail raptor- one of the carnivores he had been trying to avoid.

He put on speed as he pelted towards the gate, cursing his lack of caution, or even lack of a weapon. The raptor roared a high pitched cry, which was answered by another somewhere to his left. Suddenly, the second raptor jumped out from the bush onto the road, pummeling towards Aleks, closer than the first had been. He could hear the stamp of its feet on the ground- _thump thump, thump thump, thump thump, _and he imagined he could feel its breath. He finally caught sight of the three guards, lounging in the shade and playing a complicated dice game.

He began to wave his arms back and forth over his head, shouting ' Help! Guards! Help!' The guards looked up bored, then grinned at what they saw. Instead of rushing forward to aid him, they put their heads together and began talking in low voices, glancing at him and the two pursuing raptors. "_What the hell are they doing!"_ he thought angrily. The raptors were right on his heels, as he slid in towards the locked gate and conversing guards. The second he passed the line of guards, they grabbed their maces and clubs and began to make quick work of the raptors, whacking, beating and pummeling them, until the raptors cried and ran limping into the trees.

Aleksander couldn't speak, he could barely breath as he doubled over clutching the stitch in his side, sucking air into his grateful lungs. As he looked up at the guards he saw them opening their pouches and trading money. Rage filled him as the adrenaline left, as realization dawned. "You bet on me? You….bet on whether I'd make it?" he howled. One of the goblins, a rather greener fellow than most, grinned as he leaned towards him. "I just made three silver off your fast legs lad! Time is money! We're guards, not animal exterminators. We don't bother with anything beyond the line." He pointed at the barely visible chalk outline that was right in front the guard station.

One of the goblins, presumably the one who had lost three silvers on Aleks, growled and gripped him by the back of his shirt, giving him a shake. "You want to stand here and argue with us farmer boy, or you want to get inside?" Aleks nodded at the second choice, and found himself unceremoniously shoved through the gaping sharks mouth that made the Booty Bay gate. The second his eyes cleared from the blinding light, he stared. His mouth dropped upon just like a farm boy's first time in Stormwind. For, despite growing up in the two biggest and most advanced Alliance capitals in the world, he had never seen anything as….vast as the sea. Nothing. It glinted and danced, a thousand impossible shades of blue, but it looked like fire where it reflected the sunset.

He took a few tentative steps forward, and realized he was high on the mountain side, with the town spread below him to the docks. Made entirely out of wood it was nothing like the solid stone of Ironforge or Stormwind. Planks, ramps, rope ladders, and merely roof jumping seemed to be all the choices of transport from level to level. No tube elevators, no trams, not even straight flat streets. There were all sorts of folks in a goblin town, though it was nearly unheard of for any race but a goblin to be granted a business license in one. Humans reassured his eyes, as well as dwarves and gnomes, but there were few elves to be seen. He saw a few orcs loading cargo onto a ship, and averted his eyes with a shudder. There was a Tauren flight master perched across from him, next to a Dwarven lady. Thankfully, he saw no undead, and he had heard trolls rarely stayed in Booty Bay, due to the friction with local tribes.

He began to walk downward, figuring to go to the docks to find how to book passage to Kalimdor, when a small goblin child knocked into his knees. "Sir! Nights coming on quick, and all the inns will be filled, but if you come with me I can get you a room at the Roaring Gryphon, the best inn in all of Booty Bay featuring the finest of-" he was rudely shoved aside by another goblin child, who was slightly bigger. "Don't listen to that snot-nose! Everyone knows the Roaring Gryphon waters their ale and has ugly barmaids! Dwarven ones! You should bed down in the Treasure Chest- where every pleasure can be had!" He realized he looked like a fresh from the farm mark when a group of little goblin children were suddenly surrounding him and shouting the claims of various inns.

Aleks waved his hands for silence, in a moment of panic- what if this drew attention to him that he did not need?- "Which inn is the cheapest?" he asked. The children eyed each other to see how low the others would go first. Bargaining starts young in the goblin race. Aleks pulled out a silver piece from his pouch. "Where can I go for this?". Before he could complete the sentence a little goblin girl had snatched it from his hand and was pelting down the alley, calling after her "This way sir!". Having no choice, Aleks dogged after her, through two small 'streets', down one rope ladder, through a leather goods store, up a ramp, over a rope bridge and then sliding down a pole, before she lightly jumped down and spread her hands proudly. "Welcome to the Singing Siren inn sir! Best food, best entertainment, and a comfortable bed!" she pushed on through the door and Aleks ducked his head to follow her in.

The inn was small, a great room and then three rooms leading off of it, but it looked clean. Aleks imagined taking a bath and nearly moaned aloud at the thought of soaking in a hot tub. He was used to hard work, but the last few days had been torture on muscles he had not realized he possessed. The barmaid -an older looking goblin woman, turned from the oven rack she had been tending to, to greet him with a smile. "Welcome to the Singing Siren!" , she quickly bustled him off to his room, where he found a wooden tub filled with steaming water, and a soft bed. He ended up longer than he had planned, just trying to soak the ache out of his body. Trudging back into the great room, he wolfed down his soup, ignoring some of the unfamiliar vegetable, and ripped into the fresh loaf of bread the maid served him- steaming hot and slathered with fresh butter. as he found out from the barmaid how to book passage to Kalimdor. For a tip, she even gave him the good advice of what type of ship he should try to aim for. He tumbled back into bed without a thought, too tired to even pull the blankets up.


	5. Booty Bay for a Day

**Deals and Docks**

Up with the sunrise as he had been for every morning of his six-year apprenticeship with Master Ellington, Aleks stretched as he walked alongside the dock to the piers. He pretended to be interested in the rather gaudy, fifty feet tall stone statue of a goblin in a robe. Quicker than he expected, a man dressed in a deep red trench coat, frilled white collar and a sweeping, large hat with a jaunty feather stuck in it approached him. "it's a fine day for some sailing wouldn't you say?" he asked, as if to the air. Aleks bit a smile away, he had to focus on the bargaining, or else his silver would soon leave him. "I suppose so" he began, " but it seems to me, that the water is choppy and rough".

The gentleman raised an eyebrow. "Well sir, I'll wager you have no idea who you are speaking to, but I am Captain Smotts, _the_ Captain Smotts, owner of the finest ship to be seen from Kalimdor to the Eastern Kingdoms! Her planks are so tightly wrought, that a breeze cannot pass through a single plank, and she skims above the waves so lightly, that schools of albacore think she is but the fairest of their kind!" he boasted, pointing out one hand to encompass the ship that had just sailed up to the pier- the Jamberry, who had a dancing high elf figurehead.

Aleks pretended to look the Jamberry over, though truthfully he couldn't tell a watertight ship from a bath-tub, and he was willing to row to Kalimdor in a wine cask by this point. "I know a thing or two about ships Captain Smotts, and while your Jamberry is a beauty, she looks far too fair and delicate to pass the maelstrom in one piece. Such a pity, since I had business to attend to in Kalimdor, but I suppose I can find a mage portal to Darnassus, then a traveling caravan from there…" he mused.

Captain Smotts began to bluster- "What? You would take months what a single week aboard a fine vessel could do! In fact, I have one of the highest records for successful Maelstrom passes of any Captain! Look, you seem like a nice boy fresh from Westfall, so I'll make you a deal- us humans need to stick together, and some of these dwarf captains will take you for the steel in your boots! Ten silver, one way passage, and I'll even throw in meals!"

The barmaid had told Aleks that passage was normally about eight silver, with meals, and so Aleks had no intention of falling for that trap. "What? You look as though you came from Westfall yourself Captain Smotts, surely you can't think a poor, working farm hand like me has ten silver in all his possesion? I have but six, and I need to keep some for my travels to Ashenvale, where my old and ailing grandfather has called me to his side in his hour of dying!" Aleks layed it on thick with a trowel.

"An ailing grandfather? Well, why didn't you say so before? Six silver, no meals!" Captain Smott took his hat off in respect and held it to his chest as his eyes rolled heavenward. "Far be it from me to be the one to delay your sad journey" he said mournfully.

Aleks grinned now. "Well, how about six silver, AND meals, and I'll help with general labor like aboard." he offered. As he and the Captain shook hands on it, the Captain directed him to a small building on the side, where he had to register his passing. Aleks was filled with dread- the last thing he wanted was a paper trail!

"Why do people have to sign their passage?" he asked Smotts. "Ah, that would be for the greedy Baron Revilgaz, curse his name!" this last bit, said quietly as he looked around for goblins. "He doesn't use it for anything, but if he notices say, a noble or something, he likes to ah…encourag generosity to keep him in the mage weave, if you know what I mean."

"Ah. The rich," Aleks shrugged casually, and walked over to the little booth overlooking the water. There was a shrewd looking goblin at the counter, with ledgers and blotters and paper all over his desk. On the wall behind him was a wall of Wanted Posters- Hogger, Van Cleef, a joke poster for Sargeras. Aleksander felt his heart leap into his throat has he checked them, but thank the Light, he wasn't there…yet. He also saw the Record Board for Succesful Maelstrom passes. Captain Smott, indeed had the number one place. With six. He felt dizzy.

"Sir, I need to book my passage aboard the Jamberry to Kalimdor." he said quietly. The goblin looked up and snapped his fingers imperiously to the side. A small, sick looking gnome appeared out of nowhere. "Yes sir"? he squeaked. The goblin pointed at Aleks as he took out a smooth piece of paper and began scratching away. Upside down Aleks tried to read what he was writing down- "Jamberry, 10 days after Fire Festival, human male, 6'1-" suddenly a bright flash blinded Aleks and he let out a shout as he stumbled back from the booth.

The little gnome had held up a contraption towards him and made a light appear. Aleks frantically felt his face and body, but nothing seemed harmed. The gnome was waiting patiently holding a piece of paper, and shaking it gently. "What..what was that?" Aleks demanded breathlessly. Mr. Nobblefizz finally deemed Aleks worthy enough to speak to. "A new contraption the gnomes have lately invented, that captures the likeness of a portrait in but a moment." he announced. And to Aleks's dismay, the little gnomes piece of paper suddenly had his face on it, and was being pasted onto the goblins paper.

"Name!" he barked at Aleks.

"Al-" Aleks ground to a halt. This hadn't occurred to him. "Allen. Allen Thibodaux." he finished.

The goblin scribbled this above his picture, before reaching for a stamp pad. He slammed it down across the page. "ALIAS" in large, red letters. Aleks paled as he watched the ink dry. Mr. Nobblefizz cackled a little. "I've been doing this a long time boy. Now, where is your destination on Kalimdor?"

"Ashenvale" he stated. This came out smoother, him having said it before. He was proud of his cool.

The goblin then wrote below the picture, "Look elsewhere than Ashenvale, intended destination is a sham." Aleks began to cough violently. "Now, now boy calm down. You look too poor for the Baron to bother with you, whatever small money matters you're running from, or girl you're running to. But I have to do my job!"

Apparently finished with giving Aleksander a heart attack, he took out a slip of parchment and grabbed another stamp pad. "ACCEPTED" slammed onto it, as well as the date. He handed this to Aleks, and instructed him to give it to the Captain when he boarded, and that it was only good for that day.

Aleksander clutched the little paper to his chest, as he walked off, heart pounding. "Have a safe journey….Allen.!" the goblin chuckled behind him. He heard a high-pitched gnome giggle cut off by a sharp "whack!" and a cry.


End file.
